59. Who is the Hunter and Who is the Prey

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"Alright, sounds good."

Ace smiled, draping his arms over Al's shoulders and chuckled heartily.

"Anyone got any booze?"

Before Al could respond, Nami eagerly raised her hand and exclaimed, "Sure do, but it'll cost you 100,000 Baileys per bottle!"

"Yoshi, I'll take the lot, and put it on my old man's tab!"

"Let's get this party started!"

Observing Nami's fixation on the money, Carina rushed over to her, her expression grave. "Nami, are you out of your mind?"

Nami paused for a moment, then gestured towards Al and Tom, who were already enjoying a feast with Ace, and replied with a grin, "Please, no need to teach me about making money, you fool!"

Carina persisted, "Hey, Captain Al, why don't you..."

"Um... it's fine, Carina."

"Hahahaha~"

Al lifted his wine glass high, downed it in one go, took a deep breath, and let out a hearty laugh.

"Thinking about a tab from Whitebeard is just insane!"

"Tom, crank up the music! What's a party without some tunes?"

"This dance is a blast! Kitty, big dog, let's dance together, lol."

He glanced at Tom and Ace, who were completely caught up in the moment.

Carina, too, was intrigued, joining Al in sipping drinks while enjoying Tom's performance.

Meanwhile, Vivi pitched in to assist Nami, ensuring everyone had enough drinks and food.

As the banquet wound down, Nami gazed happily at a stack of bills that could fill a book.

It could be said that during this nearly one-hour celebration, thanks to Nami's constant price increases, the bill had skyrocketed to a staggering 3.1 billion Baileys!

Additionally, Spike and Tom forged a strong bond with Ace thanks to the festivities.

If it weren't for Carina's timely intervention, Tom and Spike, the two troublemakers, would have almost do off with him.

When it was time for Ace to depart, the two buddies hugged each other tightly, tears streaming down their faces.

"Alright, enough with the tears, you two. If you keep crying, you'll flood the boat," Al scolded, knocking their heads lightly. He then retrieved Ace's vivre card from his pocket, tore it in half, and handed each piece to them.

"This is Ace's vivre card. With this, the next time you need Ace, you can use it to find him."

After Al managed to calm them down, Tom and Spike wiped away their tears, reluctantly watching Ace's departure.

"Nami, let's see how much profit we raked in this time," Al requested.

Once Ace was out of sight, Nami immediately gathered everyone around.

Upon seeing the staggering amount on the bill, Carina let out a loud scream!

Even Al was taken aback by the astronomical total, wondering how Whitebeard would react when he saw it.

Simultaneously, members of the Baroque Works who had fallen into the water scrambled onto driftwood, their faces etched with terror as they dialed MB's phone.

"Moshi Moshi, this is Mr.13. We've encountered Al and Tom at sea!" one of them exclaimed urgently.

"However, over a hundred of us have been defeated. We urgently need backup. I don't want to meet my end yet!"

Somewhere on an island, Mr.3 coldly hung up the phone. To him, these unfamiliar individuals were expendable.

The news about Al and Tom took precedence above all else.

"Has it finally surfaced? My dreams of promotion are finally within reach, hahaha," Mr-3 exclaimed with a sinister grin. Without hesitation, he promptly ordered his men to ready the ship.

This time, he was determined to hunt down Tom and his crew, so he came prepared!

In addition to assembling a group from the Baroque Works, they had also allied with pirates, amassing a force of over 500 individuals!

While the relationship between Baroque Works and pirates was typically adversarial, it wasn't unheard of for them to join forces when it suited their interests.

"Mr.3, the crew is all set. Let's depart swiftly before others beat us to it!" one of his subordinates urged.

"Miss Golden Week, no need to fret. I have everything under control, hahaha~" Mr.3 reassured her.

"Hey, Moshi Moshi, Mr.3, you can't abandon us like this!"

"Damn it! What are we supposed to do? We're not dead yet!"

For these individuals, Mr. 3's silent hang-up on the phone was undoubtedly a harbinger of doom.

Amidst the ruthless roaring and howling, all they could do was await their impending demise.

Suddenly, a voice pierced through the despair, reigniting their flickering hopes for survival.

"Everyone, look behind you!"

"It's a ship! We're saved!"

"Hey, please save us!"

For a moment, voices clamored with hope, but as the boat drew nearer, the smiles on their faces gradually froze into expressions of dread.

As they gazed upon the seagull pattern adorning the sail, the hope that had briefly ignited within them slowly faded into disappointment.

If it were a pirate vessel, they could potentially overpower it, seize control, and escape. However, the sight of a Marine ship, particularly one capable of sailing the treacherous Grand Line, was far from promising.

Yet, amidst their despair, there remained a glimmer of hope for rescue. After all, they held another identity besides being members of the Baroque Works Club.

A bounty hunter with an arrangement with the Marines!

On the Marine warship, Smoker stood with a tape wound tightly around his forehead, his cold eyes betraying no emotion.

As he listened to the reports from the sailors beside him about the numerous shipwrecks and individuals in distress found at sea, Smoker rose to his feet and uttered in a frigid tone, "Pirate? Or someone else?"

"Report to Colonel Smoker, no pirate flags have been spotted thus far. Shall we proceed with salvage operations?" a sailor queried.

Before Smoker could respond, Tashigi, donning glasses and gripping a knife, interjected, "Regardless of whether they're pirates or not, prioritize rescue. If they turn out to be pirates, we'll apprehend them on the spot!"

Smoker remained silent, his lack of objection tacitly indicating agreement.

After ten minutes of concerted rescue efforts, the members of Baroque Works were successfully saved by the sailors.

Upon learning that there was only one Marine captain aboard, the members of the Baroque Works Society entertained wicked intentions of seizing the vessel and resuming their pursuit of Tom and his crew.

However, they gravely underestimated the might of Colonel Marine, and within mere minutes, they were swiftly incapacitated.

"Release us at once! We're members of the Baroque Works. You don't want to incur the wrath of our boss!" Mr.13, in a state of desperation, bellowed, attempting to intimidate the Marines with the reputation of Baroque Works.

But Smoker didn't waste any time engaging with them. Instead, he swiftly produced a wanted poster for Al from his pocket and demanded, "Have any of you encountered this individual?"

Upon glimpsing Al's bounty notice, the Baroque Works members collectively sneered and retorted, "Colonel Marine, do you dare to challenge the Baroque Works agency for business?"

Smoker's frown deepened slightly, a glint of killing intent flickering in his eyes. However, he refrained from executing them on the spot.

Instead, he ordered his subordinates to imprison them and employ torture methods to extract confessions.

Upon hearing the grim prospect of imprisonment and torture, some among the captives hastily offered Al's whereabouts as a bargaining chip for their freedom.

Yet, Smoker afforded them no such option, remembering the ordeal he endured at the hands of the cat and the dog.

The wound on his forehead throbbed painfully, a reminder of past confrontations.

Upon receiving information about Al's whereabouts, Smoker wasted no time, swiftly ordering the ship to increase its speed without hesitation. He was determined to apprehend Al's gang this time.

Meanwhile, on the deck, order was restored, and Tom and Spike resumed their usual antics.

In the lounge, Nami and Carina convened to strategize on how to utilize the substantial sum of money they had acquired. Initially, they intended to involve Al in their plans, but Al showed no interest in the matter.

It wasn't so much that he wasn't interested, but rather, he never anticipated Whitebeard to possess such an exorbitant sum of money. What he truly desired was the satisfaction of chasing after the formidable Four Emperors to collect debts owed.

While Al rested in his quarters, a massive force suddenly pierced through the wall, barely ten centimeters above his head. Al coughed, choking on the scattered debris.

"Tom! Spike! What in the world are you two blabbering about?!" he exclaimed in frustration.

He stared at the smoldering bowling ball before him, taking a sharp inhale.

Tom trembled, his hand instinctively diving into his mouth, his face etched with terror. Without a second thought, he kicked Spike directly.

Al, who had just sat up, was inexplicably wracked with pain that he shouldn't have had to endure at his age.

"You two...!!!" Al ground his teeth, rising to his feet and hauling Spike out of the room.

Tom shook his head frantically in fear, then shifted his gaze upward.

In a breathtaking moment, to the astonishment of onlookers, Tom planted his left foot and then his right foot into the air, attempting to flee punishment.

Observing Tom ascend, Al's mind suddenly conjured the image of Geppo, one of the Marine Rokushiki.

Though he couldn't execute it exactly like Tom, ascending by stepping alternately with each foot, the fundamental principle was similar.

"How could I have forgotten about this?"

Al slapped his thigh in frustration, but the next moment, Spike's cries rang out.

"Sorry, sorry..." Al apologized as he glanced apologetically at Spike's back, offering a few words of regret before continuing.

"Spike, let me explain..."

After elucidating the principles of Marine Rokushiki and Geppo to Spike, Al gave him an encouraging look.

You see, one of these two fellows can do just about anything except catch Jerry, and the other at looking after Tek!

Under Al's guidance, Spike smirked confidently, knowing that if he could catch Tom, he'd evade punishment.

Rubbing his hands together eagerly, Spike made his first attempt at executing the technique Al had taught him.

However, his initial effort didn't quite live up to Al's expectations, earning ridicule from Tom who hovered in mid-air.

Undeterred, Spike shot a fierce glare at Tom before exerting more force with his legs.

Spike propelled himself straight at Tom in the air like a cannonball!

Witnessing this, Tom broke out in a cold sweat. In a frantic effort to evade, he kicked off even harder, stepping on what seemed like a phantom.

Unfazed, Spike opened his bloody maw and hurtled toward Tom.

Observing the spectacle from the ground, Nami and the others couldn't help but exclaim, "Monstrous!"

Then, they turned and headed back to the room, as if they were accustomed to the two's antics.

After all, with Tom and Spike, common sense doesn't apply.

But for Vivi, it was her first time witnessing the divine maneuvers of the duo, leaving her stunned and frozen in place.

Al's mind swiftly analyzed Spike's movements as his legs stepped out of the phantom on the deck. Just as Al seemed to grasp the secret after a couple of tries, a sudden shelling interrupted his actions.

Al felt extremely frustrated in that moment, his cold eyes fixing on the ship not far away as he uttered in a chilling tone:

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

The two ladies, who had been enjoying coffee, were now drenched in the spilled beverage due to the sudden shelling.

Upon hearing Al's command, they exchanged glances, grabbed baseball bats, and headed out.

Nami donned the flying wings that Al had bestowed upon her previously, propelling herself and Carina away like a cannonball.

Meanwhile, on the boat, Mr.3 cursed vehemently upon seeing his subordinate miss the shot.

"What are you doing? You can't even handle this simple task!" Mr.3 barked angrily at his subordinate.

As the words left his lips, a thunderous boom echoed from behind him.

Stiff as a machine, Mr.3 turned around, cold sweat beading on his brow.

He saw his massive four-masted sailing ship, its hull marred by a gaping crack.

Before Mr.3 could fully comprehend the situation, the surrounding dhows were sliced in half like melons, eliciting horrified gasps from onlookers.

"What in the world is happening?"

"You're asking me? Who do I ask? This is unlike anything I've ever seen before!"

Confusion reigned as nobody could ascertain exactly what had occurred. Fear, anxiety, and panic surged through their hearts.

In response, a multitude of pirates swiftly followed suit, preparing to leap into the sea in a desperate bid to escape.

However, when they caught sight of a purple-haired girl walking on the sea, all eyes turned towards her.

"Who are you? Did you cause all of this?" Mr.3 demanded loudly, straining his throat.

Yet, the purple-haired girl remained silent.

With a gentle raise of her hand, two invisible barriers materialized out of thin air, instantly pulverizing a ship into splinters.

"Nicely done, Carina!" Nami cheered from the sky as she descended, wielding a baseball bat.

A deafening explosion resonated, and Nami extended her right hand, effortlessly catching the baseball bat as it rebounded off the deck.

In just one minute, only one ship remained afloat.

Of the more than 500 individuals brought by Mr.3, only a dozen remained.

"I truly wonder where you found the courage to challenge us," Nami remarked with disdain, appearing formidable in the eyes of all present, akin to a Shinigami.

Mr.3 sat paralyzed on the ground, trembling uncontrollably as he pointed sharply at Nami. "Who are you, and why are you attacking us?"

Just as Nami prepared to respond, Al's deep voice reverberated from behind him. "Tsk tsk tsk, what a fool."

Startled, Mr.3 turned around, only to behold a towering figure hurtling towards him through the air.

As he caught sight of Al's face, profound fear overwhelmed his senses.

"Al... How is this possible? A mere 50 Berries bounty, yet he possesses such strength!"

"Is this the target we're hunting this time? Mr.3, didn't you claim he was just a rookie?" 

"Is this what you call a pushover?" 

Meanwhile, Smoker, observing the battle from a distance, widened his eyes when he witnessed the formidable sword qi unleashed by Al.

"Contact headquarters immediately," he bellowed, "we've grossly underestimated Al and Tom's gang!"

"Tom isn't the captain after all. We've all underestimated that man's strength!" 

As Tom soared through the air, he seemed to hear someone calling him and glanced downward, puzzled.

Below, a stunning woman sat atop a massive sea turtle, silently observing the battle from afar.

An idea sparked in Tom's mind, and he hastily gestured to Spike, pointing at the woman.

"Idiot mutt, that woman must be an enemy. If we capture her, the captain won't hold us accountable!" 

Spike was momentarily stunned, exchanging glances between Tom and the woman.

Suddenly, he felt a strange sense of agreement with the foolish cat's suggestion.

With a mutual glance, the dog and cat both surged towards the woman.

"It appears that something dreadful is heading my way. How intriguing," the woman remarked, a playful smile dancing upon her lips.

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